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7th November 2013

Just when you thought the hype about this southeastern suburb had abated, more developers are set to launch here

THE promise was made. When SP Setia announced two years ago that it bought nearly 1,700 acres in Semenyih of what used to be the Rinching and Abaco Estates, the spotlight immediately focused on this sleepy small town east of Kajang and Bangi.

The anticipation surrounding SP Setia’s investment culminated in the recent sales preview of the first phase of houses in the Setia Eco Hill township. Buyers queued up with RM20,000 cheques overnight, and tickets for houses on offer were given out by noon. The 20’x65’ double-storey terrace homes were attractively priced from RM410,000 (from RM270 per sq ft). Also previewed were link semi-detached houses (linked at the side and back) and zero-lot bungalows priced from about RM700,000 to RM1.6mil.

“I got an SMS at 6.43am on Oct 11 to get a queue number, but by afternoon, I received another SMS stating that all queue numbers were distributed by 12.30pm,” said one disappointed property hunter.

A visit there reveals a nascent suburb completely different from its surroundings. A dedicated turn-off from Jalan Semenyih is graced by a sculptural entrance statement, while the approach is turfed with perfectly even carpet grass, crocus-like flowers and a good amount of evenly spaced trees.

“Setia Eco Hill will be the new Setia Alam,” a woman in her late 20s was overheard telling her friend at a Kuala Lumpur hospital recently. “You go out on weekdays, but on weekends, you stay in and it will be its own community.” The township will also have its own international school, though there are no news of a new shopping mall there.

One of China’s largest property developers, Country Garden, is also collaborating with Malaysia Land Properties Sdn Bhd (Mayland) to build a mini-township east of Semenyih. It will feature big houses, ranging from two-and-a-half-storey terrace houses to 8,522sq ft mansions, as well as novel ideas such as Spanish-style homes, a clock tower and as speculated, buyers from the mainland.

The company – Eco World Development Sdn Bhd – made up of former directors and executives of SP Setia, meanwhile, has bought over 1,000 acres of land near Setia Eco Hill and is set to launch early next year, according to industry sources. Prices for the cheapest double-storey terrace houses will apparently be around the RM500,000 mark.

Unsurprisingly, prices of existing, less famous developers now reflect the suburb’s upgraded status. Tiara East, on the way to the University of Nottingham campus, is completing 24’x70’ double-storey gated and guarded houses, which were first priced from around RM470,000 (about RM210 per built-up sq ft). Prices have risen to RM590,000 (about RM270 per sq ft) and above since.

For those living in established suburbs like Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam, Semenyih and Kajang are a distance from their communities. Kajang is 24km from, say, Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur while Semenyih is 35km away and about equidistant to Seremban.

For those who live closer to the south of the Klang Valley, this southern hotspot may just be the next commuter suburb for middle-class families preferring landed, gated and guarded townships.